Fox News White House correspondent Jacqui Heinrich laid out the “most likely path” of a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine, detailing a plan that could see the fall of Kiev in as few as 24 hours.

“NEW, Thread: Fox News has also learned Russia’s most likely path, in the event of an invasion, is a quick takeover of Kiev over 24-36 hours, starting with electronic warfare and aerial bombing of Ukrainian critical infrastructure, command and control, and weapons depots,” Heinrich began.

Heinrich went on to detail the steps that might follow, pointing out the fact that it would not be a logistical challenge to “jump into Kiev” and wrest control of the government without moving too many of the troops in the ground.

“Nearly all spetznas forces around Ukraine in Russia are deployed on the front, so they would jump into Kiev, seize the government without needing many ground forces, then bring down reinforcements from Belarus – the shortest route possible,” she continued.

“Next, Russian forces in the Black Sea and Crimea would push in from the southwest town of Odessa up to Transnistria, where they’re already deployed in Moldova,” Heinrich concluded, adding, “There, Russia could potentially gain political control of Moldova, and reconstitute large portions of the Soviet Union very quickly, including taking Belarus, Ukraine, and Moldova.”

Some pundits have argued that reconstituting the Soviet Union — or at the very least, parts of it — might be exactly what Russian President Vladimir Putin wants, given his own history in the USSR’s KGB.

“Putin’s dream is to reconstitute the Soviet Union around fascism, not communism. That’s why we’re all watching and waiting. #UkraineCrisis,” Grant Stern, executive editor of Occupy Democrats, tweeted.

Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) said simply, “Putin is all about putting the ‘old Soviet band’ back together.”

Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) suggested that Putin was feeling nostalgic, adding, “In a warped sense of Soviet nostalgia really about his own petty grievances, Putin has very much misjudged U.S. and NATO unity.”

“‘Putin has been in power for 20 years and has nothing to show for it.’ @OlgaNYC1211 joins @BBCWorld to explain that Russia’s threat to invade Ukraine is part of Putin’s effort to secure his political legacy and, in part, overturn the collapse of the Soviet Union,” the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) shared in a tweet.

Putin has denied wanting a war, however, as The Daily Wire reported:

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that “of course” Russia does not want war in Europe. However, he did repeat that the West should take his supposed security concerns seriously, and that they must be addressed.

Putin was speaking in Moscow after meeting with Germany’s Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, regarding ongoing tensions between Russia and Ukraine.

“Do we want this or not? Of course, not. That is exactly why we put forward proposals for a process of negotiations,” Putin said on the subject of the potential for conflict.